Tag: Virat Tandon

Mullen Lintas appoints Hari Krishnan as CEO, effective from Jan 2020

MUMBAI: Mullen Lintas has announced the appointment of Hari Krishnan as the chief executive officer of the company. The appointment will be effective, January 2020. Krishnan moves from Lowe Lintas, where he was the president and spearheading the South operations of the agency.

MullenLowe Lintas Group CEO, Virat Tandon said, “When we were looking for the best person to lead the agency as CEO, Hari was a natural choice. He has the best credentials in the country as a P&L leader, an entrepreneur and as a brand and idea champion.”

Tandon said,” Hari's appointment is another big step to ensure that Mullen Lintas lives up to its purpose of Challenger Thinking and offers clients a credible alternative to the top 2-3 agencies.”

According to the Group CEO, Hari’s insatiable appetite for growth, challenges, and creative excellence makes him the perfect candidate to drive Mullen Lintas into its next phase of growth and discovery.

Mullen Lintas CEO Hari Krishnan said “If Lowe Lintas is like an aircraft carrier in the high seas – solid, powerful and battle-ready 24/7, then Mullen Lintas is a turbocharged, supercar with a V12 engine that has zoomed its way into the top 10 list, punching well above its weight and leaving behind some of its illustrious counterparts.”

According to Krishnan, the creative firepower, pace, agility and intensity of Mullen Lintas is just what brands need in a marketing world that is mutating and evolving rapidly.

Being scary and excited to embark new journey, Krishnan said, looking forward to partnering the amazingly talented and passionate gang of Mullenials.

Donning the new role at Mullen Lintas, his mandate will be to further strengthen the agency's position and reputation in the industry.

Krishnan has worked across multiple product categories and consumer segments with and experience of over 20 years in the advertising and marketing industry. Before his stint at Lowe Lintas, South, he was the CEO of MullenLowe Group, Sri Lanka where he led the acquisition and transformation of the agency leading it to become the Effie Agency of the Year back in 2015.

From global brands to start-up brands, Krishnan has partnered a diverse portfolio and has led large multi-cultural teams and P&L operations successfully. He has experience working with brands such as GREY Global, JWT and was VP Marketing at Star TV, in the past.

The key brands he has partnered include Unilever, Britannia, MRF, Flipkart, Swiggy, Phonepe, Tanishq, Fastrack, Titan, Arvind Brands, Parle, Ferrero Rocher, 3M, DELL, Ford, Maruti Suzuki, Audi, Future Group amongst others.

Under his watch at Lowe Lintas, Bangalore, the agency has seen a slew of new business acquisitions such as PhonePe, Xiaomi, ShareChat, MedLife, Cure.fit, Lenskart, Cricbuzz, 3M Scotch Brite, Manipal Healthcare, Britannia Timepass, Shell Lubricants, etc.

December 19, 2019
Vikas Mehta appointed Mullen Lintas CEO

MUMBAI: Creative agency of the MullenLowe Lintas Group, Mullen Lintas, has appointed Vikas Mehta as its new CEO. He will operate out of the company’s Mumbai office.

Mehta takes this role from Virat Tandon, who was recently elevated to the position of group CEO, MullenLowe Lintas Group.

Mehta comes with an experience of nearly two decades and has spent over 12 years with the global MullenLowe Group, working in multiple countries across the Asia-Pacific region. He started working for the company in India in 2013 and played several roles including group chief marketing officer, head of the digital and president—group marketing services. His last assignment was to set up the omnichannel creative agency, PointNine Lintas, which he ran as CEO until its merger with Lowe Lintas, announced last week.

January 14, 2019
MullenLowe Lintas Group promotes Amer Jaleel, Virat Tandon

MullenLowe Lintas Group is naming its group leadership team in India with two elevations from within. Amer Jaleel has been named Group Chairman and Chief Creative Officer. Partnering him, on business, will be Virat Tandon who’s being named Group CEO. In their new roles, the duo will lead the group mandate in India overseeing its three agencies; Lowe Lintas, Mullen Lintas and PointNine Lintas.

Speaking of the new Group leadership, Alex Leikikh – global CEO MullenLowe Group said, “A few years ago, we had asked Amer and Virat to start our second agency in India, Mullen Lintas, and they have built it into a top 10 agency in the country in just two years. Amer has been a creative leader of our group in India for a very long time now, and Virat embodies the entrepreneurial spirit of the MullenLowe Group, and as such I am delighted to have them steer our overall business in India to even greater success.”

Amer Jaleel joined Lowe Lintas in 2002 and has held multiple creative leadership positions including Chief Creative Officer. Virat Tandon joined the group in 2004 in the New Delhi offices of Lowe Lintas and has since played various senior roles in the network in India and Singapore. When the group started Mullen Lintas in 2015, it named Jaleel and Tandon Chairman and CCO, and CEO respectively.

Speaking of their new roles, Jaleel and Tandon said, “We have a lot of strong assets in the group. Two top ten agencies, Lowe Lintas and Mullen Lintas; a very promising incubation, the Omni-channel agency PointNine Lintas; some of the industry’s best and brightest creative, strategy and business leaders; and last but not the least a culture that makes us stick together and tick. The future is looking different and exciting. There could be no better time for the group to embark on this journey. To stay at the top of its game, MullenLowe Lintas Group realizes the importance of investing in building a strong talent pool with new skills that are relevant in the digital and hyper-connected world. It’s becoming more challenging for brands to win in the marketplace as the consumer is evolving and most categories are being disrupted and transformed due to technology. Clients are looking for all the help they can get from their agencies to win in this new reality. We want to continue to be our clients’ biggest strength.”

In a separate development, Arun Iyer – Chairman and CCO of Lowe Lintas has decided to move within the agency to become a creative consultant. Arun plans to start a venture of his own and will transition out of the agency over the next year. The agency has planned a twelve-month transition period, during which he will continue to work for some key clients and help with succession planning.

Iyer, spoke of his decision, “I have had the privilege of being part of an institution. I have spent a little over 15 years here. And it is home. Over the last few years, I have been passionate about start-ups and have played a role in developing some strong brands such as Byju’s, Freecharge and Grofers. Going forward, I am planning to work more closely within the start-up eco-system.”

Adds Amer Jaleel, “Arun and I have been brothers-in-arms for over 8 years now. We’ve been shouldering the equity and reputation of Lintas together and that gives you a sort of a feeling of being in the same womb! Arun has, over the last 3 years, taken the spirit that Balki infused in Lowe Lintas to a different zone and moulded the agency in his own way. A large part of my job for MullenLowe Lintas Group will be to take that imprint forward.”

Jaleel and Tandon’s appointments take place with immediate effect. They are working on plans to transform MullenLowe Lintas Group in a few critical areas to remain the key agency partner for clients.

September 5, 2018
Mullen Lintas bags Quikr’s creative mandate

MUMBAI: Quikr has hired Mullen Lintas Bangalore as its creative agency.

Mullen Lintas was selected after a competitive multi-agency pitch that saw the participation of some leading advertising agencies in India. What began as a pitch process for two verticals quickly went on to the entire Quikr group portfolio and Mullen Lintas has now been mandated to handle all the verticals.

This win marks as another major triumph for Mullen Lintas that has been on an upward growth swing over the past few months. Only recently, the agency had won the creative mandate for Too Yumm!, the new food brand from RP-SG group company Guiltfree Industries; plus the creative mandates for Motlial Oswal, a leading equity funds player in India and Tata Cliq, the e-commerce retail store from the Tata Group.

Mullen Lintas chairman & chief creative officer Amer Jaleel said, “What’s different about Quikr is their approach to the entire category. It’s not transactional. They have a unique perspective on the consumer and what it means for them. And we found the approach very refreshing and is allowing us to create some interesting pieces of work that will create engaging conversations.”

Quikr CMO Vineet Sehgal said, “Today, the needs and preferences of consumers are evolving. As we help them upgrade their lifestyle, we needed a partner who thinks on their feet and keep up with the fast pace that we need. Mullen Lintas team fits in perfectly with our hunger, passion along with their innovative line of thought.”

Adding his views, Mullen Lintas CEO Virat Tandon commented, “Quikr is revolutionising the online transactions space across various product categories. We were impressed with the way they are playing a leadership role in developing this category. We will be able to innovate with the cross category benefits that Quikr brings to its consumers. I am sure, the Mullen Lintas team will further add fuel to their marketing initiatives and help take the brand to the next level.”

July 10, 2017
Mullen Lintas wins creative mandate for Vistara

MUMBAI:Vistara — a joint venture between Tata Sons and Singapore Airlines (SIA) – has appointed Mullen Lintas to manage its communication mandate, after conducting a multi-agency pitch. Mullen Lintas was hired for its understanding of the brand aspiration, sharp articulation of the brand’s positioning combined with a fresh and buoyant creative idea.

Commenting on the appointment of Mullen Lintas as its creative agency, Tata SIA Airlines marketing VP Kishore Mardikar said, “We’ve managed to make a significant impact with discerning airline passengers since we launched operations more than a year ago. The aim now is to push the envelope and establish benchmarks that would make us not only the best airline in India, but also amongst the best in the world, and to effectively communicate who we are and what we stand for to the world. With able support from our creative partner Mullen Lintas, we are confident of scaling and communicating the stated objective in a manner that will be visible to and appreciated by all.”

On being chosen to handle the brand communication mandate for the airline, Mullen Lintas CCO and chairman Amer Jaleel added, “Our run with new business in 2016 is encouraging with the Vistara win. What makes it sweeter is that we won it in an intense contest against a dozen agencies. Adding another Tata Group company to our portfolio is a special feeling, and made even more special with the storied history of their partner Singapore Airlines. Vistara’s product offering is like a breath of fresh air. Our work resonated with the brand’s vision of making people look forward to flying once again.”

Highlighting the uniqueness that a brand like Vistara brings along, Mullen Lintas CEO Virat Tandon said, “Creating identity for a brand such as Vistara, is a once in a lifetime opportunity. Every flyer can vouch that Vistara has brought back the joy in air travel. The strength of Vistara is its unique value proposition and its parentage that makes it a world-class airline. Our job is to create its brand identity around Vistara’s philosophy of seamless service, innovation and personalisation and to communicate to the masses that it is an airline brand that will be sought after by the discerning flier.”

Tasked with the mandate to develop a national communication campaign for the airline, Mullen Lintas has unveiled its inaugural campaign that highlights the uniqueness of flying in Vistara and the many benefits that it has in store for customers. Moreover, to drive forward its message of being the carrier of choice for its customers, Vistara has appointed Deepika Padukone as the brand ambassador for the inaugural brand campaign. With her innate style & charm, Deepika Padukone essays a very intimate and personal portrayal that discovers the wondrous child in her as she savours the pleasure and magic of flying with Vistara.

The multi-media campaign spans the traditional TVC route and will be backed with rapid bursts on digital platforms like Facebook & Youtube. In fact as a precursor to the launch of the campaign, Vistara unveiled a short 15 second teaser film on its Facebook page that invited customers to guess which celebrity feels like a child by flying in their airline. The response has been over-whelming with the video receiving more than 2.5 lakh views and significant number of comments from the users.

The main TVC that has been launched shows Deepika Padukone walking her way to the airline. As she takes the epic walk, the inner child in her takes over and she begins relishing every moment of her journey in Vistara. From her innocuous behavior upon getting a seat of choice in the flight to the premier facilities that are offered to her and also the courteous behavior of the airline staff, she regales every small moment in child-like fashion and doesn’t want her journey to end. She sums up her journey by exclaiming: flying just feels new again in Vistara, and looking forward to flying again is in itself a new feeling.

August 22, 2016
Mullen Lintas wins creative mandate for Vistara

MUMBAI:Vistara — a joint venture between Tata Sons and Singapore Airlines (SIA) – has appointed Mullen Lintas to manage its communication mandate, after conducting a multi-agency pitch. Mullen Lintas was hired for its understanding of the brand aspiration, sharp articulation of the brand’s positioning combined with a fresh and buoyant creative idea.

Commenting on the appointment of Mullen Lintas as its creative agency, Tata SIA Airlines marketing VP Kishore Mardikar said, “We’ve managed to make a significant impact with discerning airline passengers since we launched operations more than a year ago. The aim now is to push the envelope and establish benchmarks that would make us not only the best airline in India, but also amongst the best in the world, and to effectively communicate who we are and what we stand for to the world. With able support from our creative partner Mullen Lintas, we are confident of scaling and communicating the stated objective in a manner that will be visible to and appreciated by all.”

On being chosen to handle the brand communication mandate for the airline, Mullen Lintas CCO and chairman Amer Jaleel added, “Our run with new business in 2016 is encouraging with the Vistara win. What makes it sweeter is that we won it in an intense contest against a dozen agencies. Adding another Tata Group company to our portfolio is a special feeling, and made even more special with the storied history of their partner Singapore Airlines. Vistara’s product offering is like a breath of fresh air. Our work resonated with the brand’s vision of making people look forward to flying once again.”

Highlighting the uniqueness that a brand like Vistara brings along, Mullen Lintas CEO Virat Tandon said, “Creating identity for a brand such as Vistara, is a once in a lifetime opportunity. Every flyer can vouch that Vistara has brought back the joy in air travel. The strength of Vistara is its unique value proposition and its parentage that makes it a world-class airline. Our job is to create its brand identity around Vistara’s philosophy of seamless service, innovation and personalisation and to communicate to the masses that it is an airline brand that will be sought after by the discerning flier.”

Tasked with the mandate to develop a national communication campaign for the airline, Mullen Lintas has unveiled its inaugural campaign that highlights the uniqueness of flying in Vistara and the many benefits that it has in store for customers. Moreover, to drive forward its message of being the carrier of choice for its customers, Vistara has appointed Deepika Padukone as the brand ambassador for the inaugural brand campaign. With her innate style & charm, Deepika Padukone essays a very intimate and personal portrayal that discovers the wondrous child in her as she savours the pleasure and magic of flying with Vistara.

The multi-media campaign spans the traditional TVC route and will be backed with rapid bursts on digital platforms like Facebook & Youtube. In fact as a precursor to the launch of the campaign, Vistara unveiled a short 15 second teaser film on its Facebook page that invited customers to guess which celebrity feels like a child by flying in their airline. The response has been over-whelming with the video receiving more than 2.5 lakh views and significant number of comments from the users.

The main TVC that has been launched shows Deepika Padukone walking her way to the airline. As she takes the epic walk, the inner child in her takes over and she begins relishing every moment of her journey in Vistara. From her innocuous behavior upon getting a seat of choice in the flight to the premier facilities that are offered to her and also the courteous behavior of the airline staff, she regales every small moment in child-like fashion and doesn’t want her journey to end. She sums up her journey by exclaiming: flying just feels new again in Vistara, and looking forward to flying again is in itself a new feeling.

August 22, 2016
Mullen Lintas wins communications mandate of new Honda Car

MUMBAI Honda Cars India has appointed Mullen Lintas to handle the complete communications mandate for its new car variant to be unveiled shortly. Mullen Lintas won the business in a multi-agency pitch that saw three other agencies competing for the business. The mandate given to the agency is to launch the new brand through an extensive 360-degree campaign.

On appointing Mullen Lintas as its creative agency, Honda Cars India sales and marketing SVP Jnaneswar Sen said, “We are pleased to welcome Mullen Lintas on board as our brand and creative partner. We were impressed with the team’s extensive experience in the automobile category. Their grasp of the challenge we had posed in our brief was good and the strategy and creative recommendations were very strong. We look forward to a long and mutually fruitful relationship with Mullen Lintas.”

Commenting on the recent win by the agency, Mullen Lintas CEO Virat Tandon said, “It’s a privilege to be working on the Honda brand. The brief was extremely challenging and we found an interesting solution to that. The automobile category today is full of new car launches and our vast experience in the category helped us win the business. We look forward to a successful launch for Honda and hope to build a strong partnership with the team.”

Adding his views, Mullen Lintas chairman and CCO Amer Jaleel said, “It’s a great feeling to partner with a respected brand like Honda Cars. Not only that, the team at Honda are a great bunch of people and we really look forward to a long and mutually fulfilling relationship. We’ve already begun work around the first campaign, and are excited with the way it has turned out so far. Watch this space for more.”

The company has expanded its product line-up and introduced new models in new segments, resulting in increased engagement with a younger customer base. Also, in order to suit the customers’ digital-based life styles, the manufacturer recently launched Honda Connect – an intelligent and advanced information platform for customers.

May 3, 2016
Mullen Lintas wins communications mandate of new Honda Car

MUMBAI Honda Cars India has appointed Mullen Lintas to handle the complete communications mandate for its new car variant to be unveiled shortly. Mullen Lintas won the business in a multi-agency pitch that saw three other agencies competing for the business. The mandate given to the agency is to launch the new brand through an extensive 360-degree campaign.

On appointing Mullen Lintas as its creative agency, Honda Cars India sales and marketing SVP Jnaneswar Sen said, “We are pleased to welcome Mullen Lintas on board as our brand and creative partner. We were impressed with the team’s extensive experience in the automobile category. Their grasp of the challenge we had posed in our brief was good and the strategy and creative recommendations were very strong. We look forward to a long and mutually fruitful relationship with Mullen Lintas.”

Commenting on the recent win by the agency, Mullen Lintas CEO Virat Tandon said, “It’s a privilege to be working on the Honda brand. The brief was extremely challenging and we found an interesting solution to that. The automobile category today is full of new car launches and our vast experience in the category helped us win the business. We look forward to a successful launch for Honda and hope to build a strong partnership with the team.”

Adding his views, Mullen Lintas chairman and CCO Amer Jaleel said, “It’s a great feeling to partner with a respected brand like Honda Cars. Not only that, the team at Honda are a great bunch of people and we really look forward to a long and mutually fulfilling relationship. We’ve already begun work around the first campaign, and are excited with the way it has turned out so far. Watch this space for more.”

The company has expanded its product line-up and introduced new models in new segments, resulting in increased engagement with a younger customer base. Also, in order to suit the customers’ digital-based life styles, the manufacturer recently launched Honda Connect – an intelligent and advanced information platform for customers.

May 3, 2016
Mullen Lintas is Gionee’s creative partner; targets 10 per cent market share in India

MUMBAI Gionee Mobiles has appointed Mullen Lintas as its creative partner to carry out its ambitious plan for a high decibel marketing initiative in Indian market. Gionee’s Mobiles is targeting a market share of 10 per cent in India this fiscal. It plans to achieve this growth by launching a host of new models in the coming weeks. At present, the market share of Gionee is around 5 per cent. Gionee will look to flood the market with its new offerings especially during the ongoing cricket season.

The mandate given to Mullen Lintas is to build and popularize the brand in a highly competitive smartphone market. As the custodian of the brand, the agency will handle the strategy, planning and the creative responsibilities of Gionee Mobiles. Initial work has already started on the launch of the new identity and should be out in the market soon.

Commenting on the development, Gionee’s Mobiles marketing head Nomit Joshi said, “We are very excited to have Mullen Lintas as our creative partner. We are looking forward to great partnership and are confident that together as a team we will take brand Gionee to the next level of growth.”

On winning the new mandate, Mullen Lintas CEO Virat Tandon said, “The team at Mullen Lintas has immense category experience and has built mobile brands in the past. We see a great opportunity for Gionee in the Indian market as it is appropriately placed to be the next big player in the category. We are aligned to the ambitions of the brand and are excited about this relationship. We are happy to partner with them and are hopeful of a long & a fruitful association.”

April 19, 2016
Mullen Lintas is Gionee’s creative partner; targets 10 per cent market share in India

MUMBAI Gionee Mobiles has appointed Mullen Lintas as its creative partner to carry out its ambitious plan for a high decibel marketing initiative in Indian market. Gionee’s Mobiles is targeting a market share of 10 per cent in India this fiscal. It plans to achieve this growth by launching a host of new models in the coming weeks. At present, the market share of Gionee is around 5 per cent. Gionee will look to flood the market with its new offerings especially during the ongoing cricket season.

The mandate given to Mullen Lintas is to build and popularize the brand in a highly competitive smartphone market. As the custodian of the brand, the agency will handle the strategy, planning and the creative responsibilities of Gionee Mobiles. Initial work has already started on the launch of the new identity and should be out in the market soon.

Commenting on the development, Gionee’s Mobiles marketing head Nomit Joshi said, “We are very excited to have Mullen Lintas as our creative partner. We are looking forward to great partnership and are confident that together as a team we will take brand Gionee to the next level of growth.”

On winning the new mandate, Mullen Lintas CEO Virat Tandon said, “The team at Mullen Lintas has immense category experience and has built mobile brands in the past. We see a great opportunity for Gionee in the Indian market as it is appropriately placed to be the next big player in the category. We are aligned to the ambitions of the brand and are excited about this relationship. We are happy to partner with them and are hopeful of a long & a fruitful association.”

April 19, 2016